Living in Washington D.C.

Washington DC's Metro (WMATA) service goes out to the Beltway and beyond, meaning you can live in Alexandria, Arlington, or Bethesda and still work in central DC. Dupont Circle is the heart of the transit system with transit lines to the city’s famous monuments — the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the Mall, and the White House.

The Capital Bike Share program is great, with miles of bike routes, and the city’s topography is bicycle friendly. DC has a wealth of walkable neighborhoods with classic row houses and nearly endless attractions.

Washington D.C. is Bikeable

Bike Score

Bike Lanes

Hills

Bike Commuters

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What's It Like to Live in Washington D.C.?

Harriet Tubman Elementary School In Washington DC

NoMa Summer Screen

Gallaudet University

8th & Elder St NW, Washington DC

Overview

Diverse, with a thriving local economy and an endless array of things to do – a lot of them free! – and a central location that serves as a hub not just for East coast travel, but as a launching point across the Atlantic…these are just a starting point of what’s great about living in Washington DC.

Much of the work in DC is either directly for or in some way related to the government – legal and financial services, lobbyists, think tanks, and policy related NGOs. Hotel giant Marriott is based in Washington DC, while Capitol One, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and dozens of other defense, research, and finance companies have their headquarters in the greater metropolitan area.

DC is home to one of the largest student populations in the nation; there are 19 colleges and universities in the district – Georgetown, George Washington, Gallaudet, and the Corcoran College of Art and Design along with a handful of religious and political institutions.

Washington DC is located in a region that gets four distinct seasons; it’s famous for the beautiful spring cherry blossoms which cover extensive government building green spaces with a carpet of flower petals, but the change of color in fall is striking and lovely as well. Winters can bring snow storms, but it is the summer heat that challenges the residents – the muggy humid days take some getting used to.

Nearly 20% of the city is dedicated to public parks. That doesn’t include the spectacular array of museums – the Smithsonian, the National Museum of Air and Space, the National Portrait Gallery, the International Spy Museum, and dozens of other cultural institutions. Combine all that culture with a great restaurant scene that’s ethnically diverse, an extensive transit system, international tourist and travelers, and a metro area that’s comprised of interesting neighborhoods and you have a great place to live.

Malolo Bed and Breakfast

Canal Park

Getting Around

Residents commonly complain about the lack of parking and about the region’s terrible traffic. Thankfully, you really don’t need a car in DC, in fact, you are probably better off without one. Washington DC’s extensive subway system – Metro – services the entire DC area, reaching out to Alexandria, Arlington, Bethesda as well as many satellite communities. The DC subway also connects to Reagan National Airport. The Washington Flyer connects Metro to Dulles Airport.

Metro also operates the bus service that fills the gaps on the surface streets – and they run a series of limited stop express lines. The DC Circulator runs regular service on very popular routes and there’s a streetcar in the works. MARC and VRE run the commuter rail lines from Maryland and Virginia, into Washington DC.

Capital Bikeshare has a staggering network of bike share stations, not just in DC proper, but in Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Montgomery County – allowing many DC residents to pass on bike ownership and rely exclusively on the Bikeshare program for their fair weather transportation. There are miles of cycle-friendly mixed use trails. Bikestation operates a secure bike parking facility near Union Station; it’s popular with rail commuters that live outside the city but want to do their in-city commuting by bike.

DC has car-sharing services including ZipCar, Hertz on Demand, Car2Go, and Enterprise Car Share, so if you find you need a car for short errands. DC also has a terrific central website (GoDCGo.com) to help you find information about any of your transportation questions.

Neighborhoods

Dupont Circle is a walker’s paradise and is arguably DC’s most walkable neighborhood and is situated over a major transportation hub. Oddball fun fact? The subway station here is home to one of the longest escalators in the world. At street level, the neighborhood is comprised of a mix of historic row houses and some elegant embassy mansions. Dupont Circle is where DC has its annual gay pride parade and is home to a large LGBT population. The ubiquitous row houses occasionally come up for rent, but mostly you’ll be looking at newer high rise buildings, studios and up to two bedroom apartments.

You’d have to try hard to be more than five minutes away from a bus or subway station, a good restaurant or café, or a supermarket – everything is outside your door if you choose to live in Dupont Circle.

The nearby West End has a few supermarkets, is crisscrossed by major bus routes, and is walking distance to the Metro station. Apartments and condos are primarily in larger complexes – so you can find a place with an outdoor pool, a gym, and a gourmet kitchen and roomier living spaces with up to three bedrooms.

Canal Park

Meridian Hill Park

Garfield Park

Logan Circle

Across the Potomac in Arlington, there are several very walkable neighborhoods. Ballston-Virginia and Clarendon-Courthouse both have direct Metro service into DC on the Orange line. The Coast Guard and the Department of Fish and Wildlife headquarters are in Ballston. There’s a well known food festival here, the Taste of Arlington. Most rentals here are in large apartment buildings though you can find units with up to four bedrooms. There’s a lot of newer construction here compared to some of the in-city neighborhoods, so if you’re looking for modern buildings with amenities, these are good neighborhoods to research.

Single family homes are harder to find in the immediate DC area, you’ll need to look at little further out – Friendship Heights and Chevy Chase are both still on the Metro line. You’ll have to compromise a little bit on walkability, but you’ll be able to park your car and you can find a historic home with a yard and a garage.

To live and work in our nation's capitol, Washington D.C. you can find the perfect Washington D.C. studio where you can stroll tree-lined streets and bike to work on the city's boulevards. Prices are a little lower outside the immediate metropolitan area so if you’re open to a rail commute, it’s worth looking in Maryland, at cities that are on the MARC rail line, or south in Virginia at neighborhoods with stations on the VRE.

55% of people in the DC area currently rent their homes. Walk Score helps you find a two bedroom condo in Georgetown, family rental homes in Tyson's Corner, or a studio apartment in Dupont Circle. Discover places to live by square footage, condos with a view of the National Monument, or near the best DC coffee shops and restaurants.